On her recent appearance at New York's hallowed Cafe Carlyle, the New York Times declared Bettye LaVette "the equal of Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner." With personal readings of classic songs by Sly Stone, Bob Dylan, Patty Griffin, and many others, the release of Thankful N' Thoughtful coincides with that of her new memoir (A Woman Like Me)—and we'll be devouring both. Highlights include a lingering version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," the Pogues/Rod Stewart's "Dirty Old Town," and the Black Keys' "I'm Not the One." (Check out the free preview of the latter on Rolling Stone's website.) "I find it interesting and thoroughly entertaining to add age and experience to young writers' songs and inhabit them myself," says LaVette. Does she ever!

"Every song here is a testament to her life and her unrivaled skill for interpretation. By the time Bettye's finished recording a track, she has fully inhabited the body and soul of the song. From Young's 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere,' to Savoy Brown's 'I'm Tired' to the title track … a lesser known gem by Sly & the Family Stone, Bettye expels every word with such visceral passion, you can feel her in the present moment."—Rolling Stone